You are busy applying for jobs, you are checking out job postings and you have practiced answering interview questions you found on-line. Then why are you feeling so stressed?

Here are three things that create stress and how to fix them.

You don’t have a plan. You know you want (or need) a job, but you are not clear what you want to do. If you have an “I’ll take any job” attitude, you make it harder. If you do not know what job you should have, how will a future employer?

You are not focused. You are “Spraying and Praying,” hoping if you send out enough resumes, someone will want you. Spending time researching specific industries and specific companies in areas you want to work will yield faster results. Learning about the companies will give you confidence and questions you can ask during the interview. The more focused you are, the easier it is for an employer to see you in their company.

You live in the moment. Finding work is work. You get overly excited when you get a call. You are on a high because “you know you’ll get the job.” You stop all job search efforts. When the phone interview doesn’t result in an in-person interview, you crash down and have to begin all over again. Staying the course and setting daily, weekly and even monthly goals help keep the highs and lows in check.

Reduce job search stress now by developing a plan, focusing on your target companies, and conducting your job search for the long haul. The more you do this, the sooner you will hear “you’re hired.”

There are many steps to landing your dream job. Some are hard and some are easy.

Step 1 involves hard work. Preparation includes formulating a plan. You know the saying, if you don’t know where you are going… I offer free reviews of resumes at Job Fairs. People show me their resume and tell me they “will take any job.” And that’s what their resume looks like.

The hard work is narrowing down what specific job in what specific industry, then what specific company offers that position. In the end, you are solving the employer’s problem by offering what they need, in a way they recognize it.

Step 2 is easy. Be enthusiastic when speaking. Recruiters and HR managers surveyed said 48% of applicants were not enthusiastic or personable. They came across as negative during phone conversations and during interviews.

This is great news! You can put yourself ahead of almost ½ of the applicants just by smiling and being enthusiastic.

Step 3 is fun. After reading the job posting, list all of the things you have done for each bullet point. Then turn these into stories showing how you have; identified problems, taken action, and then share how it turned out. It’s fun to talk about your successes. And the employer will have an easier time remembering you.

Take these three steps now and soon you will hear those wonderful words “you’re hired.”

Employers hire to solve their problems. They advertise job postings and list a series of requirements they expect candidates to possess. Companies reduce the pile of applicants to those who exhibit the closest fit to their posted job description. Those that remain are interviewed to see how they would fit in.

So how do you stand out and be remembered? The answer is, you tell a story.

For example, most positions have some interaction with customers, or clients, or guests. The question then is “how do you handle customers?”

You could say “I’m a people person!” Now my dog is a people person, but I wouldn’t hire him for a customer service position. But what if I told a story that showed; a problem a customer had, what I did to solve the problem, and how it turned out? Would you remember me? Let’s see.

I was the store manager for Best Products in a small rural town south of Richmond, Virginia. I was at home about 8:30 PM on Christmas Eve. The phone rings and it is a customer who had been in the store that afternoon to purchase a battery operated ride on car for his seven-year old son for Christmas. He is calling because as he is putting it together, he sees that the battery is missing from the package.

Now he’s almost frantic asking me what am I going to do about it? Well, first, I don’t know how he got my number and I’m thinking it might be a setup, but it is Christmas Eve. So what I did was tell him I would meet him at the store and we would find the battery. Then I called my assistant manager, just in case it was a setup.

I arrived at the store and we met the customer. We opened another box and got the battery he needed. Several days later, he came into the store and thanked me for ‘saving his son’s Christmas.”

Now if you had just interviewed two candidates and one told you he was a “people person” and the other told the Christmas Eve story, which one would you remember? When your Boss asked who you will pick for the job, which candidate would you be able to justify hiring, the people person or the Christmas Eve manager?

Remember, stand out by telling stories and land the job of your dreams.